Decadence From Jealousy
by hyuuga's pale rose
Summary: SasuSaku-ItaSaku: in an attempt to make Sasuke jealous, Sakura sides with Akatsuki. However, Sakura's gotten herself in too deep this time as she falls for Sasuke's brother! Who will she chose in the end? rated T for blood in the plot.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! This is another fic dedicated to another bff! Hope you like it girl!_

Decadence From Jealousy:

Chapter 1

Team seven stood in the Hokage's office. Well, what was left of it. They had one strong willed kunoichi missing from their group. Actually, it was the reason that the stoic Uchiha and the exuberant blonde had been called for. And let's not forget the care free sensei of theirs. They all stood in shock at the news they had just heard.

"She what?!" Naruto yelled at the Hokage.

Tsunade rubbed her temples in frustration. Just how many times was she going to have to repeat this today?

"Naruto, just calm down for a second. I know this has probably shocked you all, but my request is you go after her." She said calmly while pulling out a sake bottle.

'Why Sakura? What would possibly drive you to do such a thing?' she thought to herself as she poured her drink.

For once Kakashi had put his Icha-Icha Make-Out Paradise book away. He looked quite laid back, but you could tell from the tone of his voice held concern.

"Do you have any leads Hokage-sama?" he asked.

As Tsunade downed her fourth shot, she shook her head.

"Nope. They were pretty good at covering their trail out of the village."

Sasuke stared out the window, his hair shadowing his expression. He gazed over the buildings in silent worry.

'What the hell is wrong with her? Doesn't she realize how dangerous that man is? Typical Sakura, playing the damsel in distress so we can rescue her butt…' he thought slightly annoyed at the turn of events.

He turned his attention back to the Hokage as she was debriefing them.

"Now remember to stay cautious. As you know Itachi and Kisame are a very formidable duo. And now that Sakura has joined the Akatsuki, her abilities as a medic could be extremely dangerous. Bring her back by force if you must, just bring Sakura back. I'm classing this as an S-rank mission. You three will have to be on full alert. Especially you Naruto. Leave as quickly as possible." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

As the three filed out of the office, the atmosphere changed from worry to that of dread. Wasn't the point of teams to learn to fight alongside comrades, not against them? Why? Why did Sakura just get up and leave the village for Akatsuki?

Kakashi kept on walking as he stated, "Well, you two go get some supplies and meet me at the gate in a half hour."

"Hai!" the two chunnin replied.

The two then leaped across the roof tops toward their apartments.

_**Decadence from Jealousy: scene two**_

****

Sakura stood in front of a steep mountain alongside Itachi and Kisame.

"Welcome to your new home girly." Kisame said to her.

Sakura just sighed. Home. It was a term that never applied to her before. Konoha never felt like home without Sasuke. Now that he was back, she finally realized that she would never be good enough for him.

She looked at Itachi's face and smiled a bit. She had found someone who openly cared for her now.

"Hai." She whispered.

Itachi looked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. He gently hugged her to him and kissed her cheek.

"Forget about Sasuke now. You never meant anything to him, but you mean the world to me. Forget that wretched place. We'll start over together, just like I promised you." He whispered in her ear.

Her eyes closed slightly as she settled against his warmth.

"Mmhmm." She murmured as she leaned against his shoulder.

Kisame started tapping his foot.

"Why don't we go inside so you can finish this _elsewhere?_ That way, you can be all lovey dovey and I can go puke." He asked sarcastically.

Itachi nodded, never leaving Sakura's eyes.

Kisame rolled his eyes, "Great, well, I got to go and find a bathroom before you two start making out."

With that the shark man released the genjutsu on the mountain to reveal a cave. He walked briskly inside the dark cavern.

Sakura giggled as she watched him walk away.

"Is he always like that?" she asked once her giggles quieted.

A smile tugged at Itachi's lips.

"Pretty much." He answered.

He let go of the embrace and led her into the cave. Sakura was soon engulfed by the darkness.

"Come, we must go see the leader."

_**Decadence from Jealousy: scene three**_

****

Night had fallen over the dense forest that surrounded Konoha. A young man leant against the wall of the great gate of the village. Accompanying him were three dogs. His Konoha forehead protector slid further down one side of his face as he sighed.

Kakashi opened one eye as he heard someone approaching. He turned to see a familiar shock of bright blonde hair jogging towards him.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei. You're actually not late for once!" Naruto smirked at his sensei.

Kakashi didn't answer at first. He looked up towards the stars and smiled a bit.

"Yeah, ironic isn't it? The one who usually comes last is first and the one who usually comes first is lagging behind."

Of course Naruto knew who he was referring to. Sasuke usually was the first one to show up for anything. Naruto looked around for his teammate but found nothing but the eerie silence of the village. He looked down at his feet when he felt something cold on it. He saw a small nin-dog sniffing his foot. It raised its head.

"Yo, Naruto." It said, raising its paw.

"Hey Pakkun! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the dog.

Naruto studied the other two dogs. One was a huge grey mastiff and proceeded in drooling on Naruto. He recognized it from a mission he had awhile back. If he remembered correctly, the dog's name was Bull. The one that sat obediently at Kakashi's feet was new to him though. It was medium sized and had a wild black coat. Naruto was at a loss for what breed it was, but it resembled a wolf more than a dog.

Kakashi glanced at him with a bored expression.

"They're here for the mission. You already know Pakkun and Bull, but Tsume is a new recruit. Even so, she's very good at tracking. I went to Sakura's house earlier and found a few items that still had a strong scent on them. We're going to be splitting up, each of us taking a dog with us. I have to tell you now though; if you spot an Akatsuki member alert me at once via radio. We're taking a big risk sending you with only a nin-dog as protection, but I figured you wouldn't want it any other way if it meant finding Sakura." He explained.

Naruto nodded vigorously. Kakashi smiled at the response. Although Naruto had matured greatly in the three year long training period, he held the same will of fire to protect those precious to him. Most called it ridiculous to be so energetic when it came to his friends. Kakashi however, thought it quite noble for such a young shinobi.

Kakashi was pulled out of his thoughts as he felt another familiar chakra signature approach.

"About time you got here Sasuke-teme! You should have been here ten minutes ago!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke leapt to the gate.

"I lost track of time walking down the road of life." Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi looked in surprise at the excuse. That was always the excuse _he_ used when in reality he was late because he was thinking of his late teammates and sensei. Did Sasuke really take the blow of abandonment harder than he let on?

He shook these thoughts away as he focused on the task at hand.

"Alright, we'll be splitting up in search of Sakura's scent. Bull will be teamed with Naruto, Tsume will be paired with Sasuke, and I will go with Pakkun. Our priority is bringing Sakura back, but be weary of other Akatsuki members. Especially you Naruto." He paused as the nin-dogs went to their partners, "Now, I assume you both have your radios?" both shinobi nodded. "Good. We're going to be splitting up to do a five kilometer search for her scent. If the scent leads to what may be their hide out, radio each other and we'll regroup. Any questions?"

Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads. Kakashi looked between his students and their partners.

"Good. Disperse!" he motioned for them to leave as he gave the command.

_**Decadence from Jealousy: scene four**_

****

The room was lit by a few torches, but shadows still lingered among the dancing tongues of flame. Sakura looked forward into the seemingly endless hall and bowed slightly to the person at the end of it. Itachi bowed his head in respect.

"Pein-sama, I have brought Sakura Haruno as you asked. She wishes to become a member." Itachi stated in a low voice.

"Very good Itachi. You are dismissed." The cloaked man said.

As Itachi left the room, Sakura started to feel a bit nervous. She bit her lip slightly and she glanced back at the stone door as it slammed shut.

"Step forward." Came Pein's bored drawl.

Sakura did as she was told. She walked down the stretch of stone floor. Her heart beat synchronized with her footsteps on the floor. She took a deep breath as she reached Pein's sitting form.

As soon as she stopped, Pein got up from his seat and circled her.

"Hmm, by your build, I assume you're not a taijutsu specialist?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head.

"You don't seem like a prominent genjutsu user."

Sakura shook her head again.

Pein stopped circling and faced her.

"I can tell that your chakra control is desirable though. What exactly is it that you do Miss Haruno?" he asked her.

Sakura obediently replied, "I specialize in healing Pein-sama. I have a large gauge of stamina and strength, but I do not specialize in any jutsu. However, I'm able to determine genjutsu from a far distance and avoid most taijutsu based stances. My ninjutsu is average, but my stealth has been ranked well over average ability for my rank."

Pein's strange eyes stared down at her with interest.

"A med-nin? I have been told that you were under the tutelage of the sannin Tsunade correct?"

Sakura nodded.

"My, that's interesting. Although you are but an average chunnin, I will contemplate your worth through missions. We have never had a med-nin join are ranks, so I dare say you would be useful…"

Pein nodded for Itachi to walk back in the room.

"For now I will have you placed under the tutelage of Itachi on capturing jinchurrikis. Tell Kisame that he is on break for awhile and tell Deidara and Tobi that their target is the nine tails. For now I want you two to go after the two tailed Nibi. You are dismissed. Itachi will show you to your quarters."

Sakura and Itachi bowed and exited the room. Itachi led her through a corridor that was also lit by torches. At the end of the corridor was a door which opened to a living area. There she spotted more members. On the couch sat a blonde haired man with his hair pulled back in a pony tail. He had a large piece of metal covering his left eye. Next to him sat a brown haired man with a bright orange mask covering his face. In an arm chair sat Kisame. On the floor playing cards on a coffee table sat a woman with blue hair and another man with what Sakura thought was a venice fly trap around his head.

Itachi wound his way through the group and motioned her forward.

"This," he motioned at the coffee table, "is Konan and Zetsu."

Both people playing cards stopped to bow their heads and quickly returned to their game.

"You already know Kisame, but the two knuckleheads on the couch are Deidara and Tobi."

Deidara's head shot up at the remark.

"I resent that! I am NOT a knucklehead." He shouted at Itachi. He turned to Sakura, "However, Tobi here is an idiotic fag, so pay no attention to him."

The man donned with the mask yelled, "Tobi's a good boy!"

Sakura widened her eyes in disbelief at this exuberant fellow. She couldn't help but giggle as Tobi started to ask a bunch of stupid questions to Deidara. Of course, this earned him a smack to the head and the whole room began yelling at him.

"Oi, Tobi! Stop harassing Blondie over there. Pein-sama has awarded you two the chance to capture the Kyuubi. You better not screw this up." Itachi said bluntly.

Deidara perked up instantly. He smiled sadistically.

"What's that Itachi? You got pulled from your target? My, my, looks like Pein-sama finally came to his senses and replaced you. As if you and shark boy over there could ever capture the nine tails." he smirked at Itachi. "Guess that just proves that I'm better than you."

Itachi's face remained calm as he replied, "It is merely temporary as I train a new recruit." He tugged Sakura's wrist slightly bringing her in front of him. "This is Sakura and she has so graciously decided to render her medical skills to our group. Which reminds me, Kisame, you won't have missions for awhile."

Kisame's face immediately turned to a pout as he started muttering incoherent words.

Deidara also pouted for a bit. He brushed this away as he retorted, "Oh yeah, well Pein-sama still chose my team before anyone else!"

"Is that all you can come up with? What a lame come back." With that, Itachi dragged Sakura over to another door.

He opened it to reveal a hallway that had thirteen doors across it.

As they walked passed them, Itachi named them, "Behind that door is the kitchen and this one is the bathroom. This room is Pein-sama's and this one is Zetsu's. Next to it is mine, Kisame, Tobi, Deidara and Konan's room. There are extra rooms from members that have died, that I'm sure would accommodate to your needs."

They came to a door at the end of the hall. Itachi opened it to reveal a small room with the essentials; a bed, dresser, a bookcase, and a desk in the far corner. Sakura walked over to the bookcase that was full of ninjutsu scrolls.

"Feel free to read them if you want. They used to be Kakuzu's. I'll go find you a robe for you to wear outside. In the mean time, you can unpack. Is that all right Sakura-chan?" Itachi asked from the doorway.

Sakura walked back over to him and kissed his cheek. She then nodded her head.

"Thank you Itachi-kun." She whispered, a blush dusting her own cheeks.

He gave her a warm smile that was saved just for her.

"Anything for you Saku-chan." he kissed her softly.

Both their eyes closed as their lips made contact. It was short, but sweet.

Itachi muttered against her lips, "I guess I should go get that robe for you huh?"

Sakura nodded.

Itachi brushed his lips against hers and left the room. Sakura sighed and fell back against the bed. She sighed and smiled. How had it come to this?

She slowly drifted off to sleep as she rolled the answer in her head.

_**Decadence form Jealousy: chapter end**_

_I hope you all liked the first chapter! I'll get to work right away on the second one. Please review. This is my first ItaSaku fic. Don't fret though; it will eventually turn to SasuSaku. Anyway, please tell me what you think and remember I do NOT accept flames! I also allow anonymous reviews. Till next time!_

_Hyuuga's pale rose_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone! I'm so relieved that people liked this story. First off, I have no idea how long it will be, much less do I know what exactly I'm going to do with the plot ! Oh well, I'll just play it by ear! Sorry Audrey, but it won't be ready for your birthday! I'm so so so so so so so so so so sorry! Anyway, please enjoy the second chap people! Note that this chap is mainly a flashback._

Decadence From Jealousy:

Chapter 2

Sakura had woken up a few hours later and saw the famous black robe with red cloud designs hanging on her desk chair. She smiled slightly. Everything had happened so fast, but strangely it felt so right. She closed her eyes and thought back on everything that had happened the past month and a half.

**Flashback**

_Sakura leant back against the training post with sweat trickling down her neck. Her legs trembled and her knees finally buckled underneath her. The muscles in her arms and legs began cramping after putting them under so much stress over a long period of time. This was typical of her to train nonstop whenever she tried and failed to woo Sasuke. She had to prove to him that she wasn't a burden, that she was strong. She had to make him see that she was good enough for him._

_The bruises started appearing in different hues of color as she relaxed for the first time in three hours. She was on the verge of passing out from chakra exhaustion. _

_A hand reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She gasped in surprise as she was flung around to face the intruder. What surprised her more was that she came face to face with the eyes of the Sharigan._

"_S-sasuke?!" she whispered frightfully._

_Red eyes stared into her emerald orbs. A voice much deeper than Sasuke's rang out._

"_Why do you try so hard for the attention of one as insignificant as Sasuke?"_

_Sakura was speechless. She felt herself get lost in those swirling red eyes of his. Somehow this man's eyes were so much different than Sasuke's; somehow they were less cruel than she normally saw the Sharingan. _

"_Well?" the man asked impatiently._

"_I-I…w-what do you mean?" she asked stupidly._

"_Why is it that for the past week that I've been here that you constantly try to grab Sasuke's attention? Why do you beat yourself up for one person, when you're perfect just the way you are?" he asked gently this time._

_Sakura's eyes widened. She had never had anyone say such nice things to her. She couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment._

"_Who are you?"_

_The man stepped back slightly so that his face would be illuminated by the moonlight._

"_Well, I suppose to a woman as beautiful and humble as yourself, I could tell you." He took a slight bow, "My name is Uchiha Itachi, older brother to that loser Sasuke."_

_Although she didn't approve of him calling Sasuke a loser, she could definitely recognize the difference in strength. Itachi held his posture in a way that held prowess, but he didn't over do it like Sasuke did. Sakura could tell right away that he was extremely more humble than the stoic Uchiha that was her teammate._

"_May I have your name my lady?" _

_She blushed again at his polite forwardness._

"_I-I'm Sakura Haruno. You wouldn't happen to be the same person that Sasuke-kun left to kill a few years ago would you? The brother that murdered the entire Uchiha clan?"_

_Itachi leant back against the post._

"_And what if I am? What would you do with that knowledge? Someone as kind as yourself couldn't possibly turn me in…right?" he cocked his head to the side in a charming way._

_Sakura waved her hands in front of her face, "No, of course not! I won't tell a soul you're here…unless your intentions are less than desirable."_

_Itachi was silent for a few seconds. He opened his mouth slowly for his answer._

"_Well, why I'm telling you this I have no clue, but I was after that Uzumaki brat…however, I found my brother's chivalry much more interesting. I'm actually surprised no one's noticed my presence. As I said before, I've been here a week already. You never did answer my first question Sakura-san."_

_Sakura blinked in surprise. He was persistent wasn't he?_

"_Why do I do it? W-well…sometimes I don't know that myself. I know I've loved him for as long as I've known him. His opinion means a lot to me…" she trailed off looking at the moon._

_Itachi shifted his eyebrow in a confused stare._

"_You know, you'll never get to him like this. Sasuke's a real hardhead. He only responds to powerful feelings such as hate. Show him you don't care anymore, and he'll flock to you, subconsciously wanting your attention."_

_Sakura turned her head back to him. _

"_You seem to have a lot of experience in this field, Itachi-san." She said._

_Itachi closed his eyes. "Not really. I'm just more open to the world than Sasuke is. I take in my surroundings a heck of a lot better than he does…you know, I could help you if you want."_

"_Why are you telling me this? Don't you hate Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked quietly._

"_Sure I do. He's an annoying little brat that will never beat me the way he is now. But, don't you agree that it would be fun messing with his head? Mind games are my specialty after all." He smirked._

_Sakura didn't answer. What if he was right? What if this was the way to get through to Sasuke? She sighed._

"_What do I have to do?"_

"_Alright, you're in!" he said while he clapped his hands together, "Well, go to your team tomorrow and announce you have a boyfriend. He might not show it at first, but Sasuke will definitely react to that. He's quite the jealous type." He finished with a broad smirk on his face._

_Sakura couldn't help but feel her heart beat fast at that look. What was this feeling all of a sudden? _

_Itachi stepped closer and got mere inches from her face._

"_That sound good Sakura-san?"_

_Her eyes widened at the sudden closeness and she blushed._

"_I don't think I can FAKE having a boyfriend Itachi-san. I might be a good actress, but when it comes to Sasuke-kun, I don't think I could pull it off…"_

_He pulled her face closer to his._

"_And what if you're not faking it? I don't mind playing the role if it would help someone as pretty and strong willed as you Sakura-chan. In fact, why don't you come around every night to keep up the act?"_

_In that instant, Sakura thought that her internal organs had shut down. Itachi asked her out…well, sort of. She had to admit, he was extremely charming…and rather cute in his own dark way. Maybe she could pull this off with his help. _

_All she could do in her shocked state was nod. Itachi gave her a genuine smile._

"_Good. Meet me back here tomorrow to tell me how it went." He whispered._

_Sakura nodded again and turned to leave. Before she could walk away, Itachi grabbed her wrist._

_He murmured, "Don't ever push yourself so hard again for a person. It's not worth it to hurt yourself for someone like him. It's not good for you to exert yourself so much. Please, don't do it again…"_

_Sakura's mouth hung open after he said that. He was actually worried about her?! She was extremely flattered and she smiled at his downcast face._

"_I won't ever again. I promise Itachi."_

_**Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene two**_

_Sakura walked up to the training ground the next morning for training with her team. Of course Naruto was standing there impatiently waiting for Kakashi to arrive. Then to the side was Sasuke just staring off into space. Sakura only glanced at Sasuke before sitting down on the ground to wait for Kakashi to give them drills. _

_After ten more minutes, the copycat ninja finally came onto the scene with a bored expression on his face. Before he could even come up with an excuse, Sakura intervened._

"_Just save it Kaka-sensei. Can we just get to work now?" she asked impatiently._

_All three men on the team stared at her in awe. She was never the one to interrupt her sensei, much less tell him what to do._

_Sakura looked back and forth between them._

"_What?"_

_Naruto and Kakashi just shook their heads and turned to the posts for taijutsu exercises. Sasuke turned as well, but kept side glancing at Sakura as she kept punching her post mercilessly. It was weird not having her stare at him or ask him annoying questions. When all finished their various punches and kicks, they decided to spar one on one. As fate would have it, Naruto was paired with Kakashi and Sakura was paired with Sasuke. _

_Sasuke got hesitantly into his stance. Something was definitely different about Sakura. He was intent on finding out what it was._

_Sakura stared indifferently into his eyes as she surged chakra into her palm._

_With a burst of speed, Sakura ran forward and landed a punch on Sasuke's face. He stumbled back in surprise and activated his Sharingan. Since when did she get so fast? _

_Sasuke was able to dodge another punch that was aimed for his stomach. Sakura made no sound of disappointment, only one of boredom. She quickly delivered a round house kick that swept his feet from the ground. He gasped as she went to punch his face into the ground and rolled over swiftly. As soon as he managed to get his feet back on firm ground, he flipped back out of range._

_She came at him with that dazed expression she had since she arrived. This time however, Sasuke was ready for her. He deflected all the punches and kicks thrown at him and successfully landed a blow in her gut. Her breath hitched slightly as she was forced back by the hit. By now Sasuke's breathing had deepened and a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Never before had Sakura been able to hold her own for this long. It was almost…intriguing. _

"_Alright you two, that's enough. Training's over for today. As a reward for your improvement, why don't we go to Ichiraku's? My treat." Kakashi offered._

_Almost immediately Naruto started screaming and jumping for joy. This in turn caused Kakashi and Sasuke to sweat drop. Sakura said nothing at first but looked over at the trees surrounding the area. This caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. Usually Sakura would chew Naruto out for his immaturity._

_Kakashi waved a hand in front of Sakura's face, "Yo, Sakura? You there? I asked if you wanted to go to Ichiraku with us."_

_Sakura blinked in surprised and blushed._

"_Sorry Kaka-sensei, I can't…I have plans…" she said with a smile tugging at her lips._

_She looked at their confused faces and giggled._

"_See you later!" she called behind her as she ran towards town._

"_Wait! What could possibly be more important than your teammates?!" Naruto yelled after her._

_Sakura stopped running and pivoted her body slightly. She wore a confused expression._

"_Didn't I tell you? I have a boyfriend!" she smiled warmly and blushed a light pink._

_Naruto and Kakashi stared in shock. Since when did Sakura stop liking Sasuke?! Sasuke stared at her, his face portraying no emotion whatsoever. A boyfriend? Since when? Why should he care anyway?_

_Sakura smiled widely and said her farewell once again before leaving the scene._

"_Well that was awkward…" Kakashi muttered._

_**Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene three**_

_Sakura sighed as she ran to her house. She had a few hours to kill before she was going to meet Itachi._

_Taking out her key, she unlocked her apartment and strode inside. She went straight to the closet in the hall and grabbed a fresh towel. She then went to the bathroom and started the shower. After discarding her sweaty clothes, she stepped into the lukewarm water spouting from the shower head and eased her tense joints._

_She stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, wrapped the towel around her and walked straight toward her room. After changing into some more casual clothes, she brushed out her hair and went to the kitchen. She started up the stove to boil water for tea. Once the kettle was going, Sakura grabbed a book of medical jutsus from a shelf and sat at the kitchen table to study._

_When her tea was ready, she blew on it and sighed. She glanced at the clock and read that it was around two in the afternoon. Still having plenty of time, she returned to her studies._

_Sakura must have fallen asleep because she jolted with a start to see the sun making it's slow decent. She took her now cold tea and poured it down the sink and returned the book to its shelf. She glimpsed the time to see it was almost six._

"_Wow, I must have been really tired to sleep that long…" Sakura thought aloud._

_She brushed her short hair out again and pulled it up with a ribbon in the back. She smoothed out the crinkles in her shirt and headed out the door towards the training ground._

_Itachi was leaning against a tree on the outskirts of the field when she arrived. He smiled as she ran closer to him and stood to greet her. Sakura couldn't help but smile as well as she came to a stop in front of him. _

"_So how'd it go?" he asked quietly._

"_Well, sensei and Naruto flipped, but as you said, Sasuke didn't react at first. Although, he seemed to be paying me more attention than usual." She relayed what she knew to him._

_He nodded, "And to think this is only the start! Just act more aloof and wait it out and eventually he'll come to you."_

_Sakura nodded and looked down at her feet. She bit her lip and hugged him tightly, catching the man off guard. _

"_Thank you Itachi-san. I don't know why you're helping me, but it's greatly appreciated." Her voice was muffled from his cloak._

_Itachi rested his hand on her shoulder._

"_Anything for you." He whispered._

_Sakura stepped back and blushed once again._

"_Since I have time to kill, why don't we just hang around here?" she asked._

_Itachi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second._

"_Sure. I'd like that." _

_With that said, they both sat down to enjoy what little sun there was left before it disappeared from sight._

_**Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene three**_

_The next couple weeks passed with ease. Sakura's team was sent on many missions throughout this time. Although she was following Itachi's lead perfectly, she couldn't seem to get any conformation on whether Sasuke had feelings for her yet. _

_Speaking of Itachi, Sakura met with him every night to see the sun set and to talk. And every night she learned more and more about this mysterious brother of Sasuke's. He was so interesting to be around. Itachi always knew how to make her laugh and feel comfortable. She was so happy to have met him that she actually yearned for their next meeting. She longed to make him smile, to make him laugh like he could her. _

_Today was the same as every day. Sakura was strolling casually to the training ground. She found him sitting in a tree, ready to watch the sun set with her. She walked quietly to the tree and knocked against the wood._

"_Knock, knock. Can I join you?" she asked cutely._

_Itachi looked down at her and a smile tugged at his lips. He scooted over and patted the wood next to him._

"_Of course. Sit here." _

_Sakura obliged and jumped in the tree and made herself comfortable next to him. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder._

"_Tired?" he asked._

_Sakura nodded her head and her eye lids drooped. The sky was over powered by flurries of oranges and reds at this point._

"_So, any progress?"_

_Sakura fully closed her eyes and answered softly, "Not really. But lately, I've been thinking…if he liked me at all, wouldn't he have taken a hint by now? Is he even worth my time anymore?"_

_Itachi blinked in a confused fashion. He draped an arm around her shoulder and watched her doze. She looked so beautiful, especially in the light of the waning sun._

"_Well, he may or may not have. He's kinda like me. He likes toying with people, although he's not quite as compassionate about it as I am. What brought this up?"_

_Sakura mumbled, her eyes now wide open, "I don't know. I was just…thinking…"_

_Itachi cocked his head to the right._

"_Thinking of what?"_

_Sakura raised her head from his shoulder, but his hand remained on hers. Her bright emerald eyes shimmered for a second, but were darkened as night fully encompassed them. Itachi could see her blush and lower her gaze from him._

"_Well, I was thinking that I might have fallen for someone else?" she whispered._

_Itachi sat still for a moment. He knew what was running through her head. He knew her feelings. He also knew that they lead very different lives. And yet, he couldn't help but feel the same for her. Even though the darkness shadowed her, she still looked gorgeous, still looked as helplessly adorable as when he first met her. His eyes softened a bit as he brought a finger underneath her chin and raised her head. He knelt his face closer to hers._

"_Oh? Who might that be?" he breathed against her lips._

_He felt her breathing hitch and he smirked. His onyx colored eyes rested on her emerald ones. She parted her lips in astonishment at their closeness._

_She stared wide eyed at him before she whispered against his lips, "You."_

_Itachi smiled and crushed his lips to hers. He marveled at the softness of her lips and begged for entrance. Sakura's eyes widened but fluttered closed as she permitted his onslaught. His tongue greedily tasted every inch of her mouth and sent shivers down her spine. She moaned slightly and it wasn't long before their tongues were battling for dominance. He parted swiftly to catch his breath and she did the same, gasping for air. She sat there panting for a few moments before she got to her senses._

"_What-" _

_She was silenced by Itachi's finger to her lips and a soft kiss from him. He held her hand to his face and stared lovingly into her eyes. _

"_I feel the same way about you." He whispered and brushed his lips against her hand._

_Sakura was now blushing heavily as Itachi kissed her once again. He buried his head in her hair and his soft breathing tickled her neck._

"_Really?" she breathed out._

"_Hn, of course. Whoever is crazy enough not to fall for you is an idiot. Sasuke doesn't deserve someone as perfect as you Sakura-chan."_

_Sakura embraced him and was silent for awhile._

_She chuckled, "Do you really think that I'm perfect?"_

_Itachi lifted his head from her pink locks and kissed her jaw line. He smiled and chuckled as well. Sakura's heart soared as she heard his laugh._

"_Yeah, I really do." He paused to look at her seriously, "Sakura, don't waste your time on Sasuke anymore. Come back to the Akatsuki with me instead. I'll make you happier than you've ever been. I've never loved anyone like this before." He said sincerely._

_She blinked down at him in surprise._

"_Y-you…love me?" she asked amazed._

_He nodded his head and kissed her cheek._

"_More than you could ever know after spending these past couple weeks with you. You've made me happier than I've been in a long time. Will you come back with me?"_

_Sakura nodded before her mind could tell her otherwise. He closed his eyes and smiled again. _

"_I'll have to go tell them you're coming. Wait for me?"_

_She closed her eyes as well and leaned her forehead against his._

"_Yes."_

_He opened his eyes and brushed his lips against her forehead. _

"_I'll be back in a few days to come get you then."_

_Sakura nodded and hugged him one last time before he bid her farewell and melted into the darkness of the surrounding forest._

_**Decadence from Jealousy: flashback one, scene four**_

_Sakura's eyes swept the apartment. She was contemplating on if she needed anything other than what was in her pack. _

"_Are you ready to go yet?" an annoyed voice sounded from behind her._

_She turned around to see the man that was talking to her. He had blue skin and dark, wavy blue hair. His teeth were sharpened to a point and he adorned a large sword and black cloak with red clouds like Itachi. Itachi himself came from behind the rather tall shinobi._

"_Please excuse him; he can be rather brash sometimes. This is Kisame, my partner." He explained._

_Sakura nodded her head to Kisame in greeting as he did the same._

"_Kisame, this is Sakura, my girlfriend."_

_Sakura's blushed and her heart fluttered as he said those words. Itachi walked over to her and placed an arm around her waist._

"_Whenever you're ready, we'll go."_

_She nodded and glanced around the apartment again. She didn't seem to be missing anything._

"_Alright, I'm good to go." She stated calmly._

_With that, the trio exited the premises and headed towards the gate. Once they reached it, Sakura halted their movement. She gazed one last time at the village she once called home. Itachi grasped her hand._

"_Come on. We better leave before they notice."_

_Sakura stayed silent but squeezed his hand tightly._

"_Okay."_

_With Kisame in the lead and Itachi still holding her hand, they headed towards the Akatsuki's hideout._

**Flashback end**

Sakura grasped the robe and draped it over her. She walked to the mirror and zipped it up. She couldn't help but smile at her reflection. My, this was going to be fun.

_**Decadence from Jealousy: chapter end**_

_Sorry that I cut it off guys, but I'm very tired…besides, I said earlier it would be mostly a flashback didn't I? Oh well, please review but don't flame. Hope you all liked it! _

_Anyway, I'm kinda stumped. Should I make it SasuSaku, or keep it ItaSaku? The way I've written it makes ItaSaku perfect, but I don't know…tell me what you think and I'll go from there._

_Alrighty then, with my mission accomplished, I bid you all good night!_

_Hyuuga's pale rose_


End file.
